Golf bag warmer

ABSTRACT

A golf bag warmer comprising a heater at the base of a golf bag and a heat exchanger extending up within the bag. The heat exchanger may optionally act as an exhaust vent for harmlessly passing fumes from the heater to the atmosphere, and as a handle for inserting and removing the warmer from the bag.

United States Patent [191 Bauman, Jr.

[1 1 3,800,863 Apr. 2, 1974 1 GOLF BAG WARMER [76] Inventor: Martin F. Bauman, Jr., PO. Box

1706, El Paso, Tex. 79949 221 Filed: on. 14, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 80,600

[52] US. Cl 165/47, 432/184, 432/225 [51] Int. Cl. F24h 3/00 [58] Field of Search 165/47, 174, 179; 263/2,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,687,747 8/1954 Bock 165/179 X 3,707,279 12/1972 Kaiser.... 263/2 R 2,181,821 11/1939 Seals 263/5 R 2,272,340 2/1942 Hampton 126/263 2,254,587 9/1941 Williams 165/179 X 2,845,924 8/1958 Benda 126/208 2,591,217 4/1952 Thompson 150/].5 R 3,066,925 12/1962 Smith 263/5 R Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Assistant ExaminerTheophil W. Streule, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmJackson, Jackson and Chovanes [57] ABSTRACT A golf bag warmer comprising a heater at the base of a golf bag and a heat exchanger extending up within the bag. The heat exchanger may optionally act as an exhaust vent for harmlessly passing fumes from the heater to the atmosphere, and as a handle for inserting and removing the warmer from the bag.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures GOLF BAG WARMER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The game of golf has increased in popularity and has expanded from primarily a game played in warm weather, to a game played in virtually all temperatures, when there is no interference from snow, rain or sleet. While playing in cold weather, the clubs reach an equilibrium temperature of that of the atmosphere and this has disadvantages to the player. Where the temperature is quite low, as for instance at the freezing temperature of water, the handles and clubs are uncomfortable to the touch of the user, and the feeling of comfort and relaxation necessary to the player for maximum efficiency in playing, is not achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Efforts have been made in the past to warm during cold weather, handles of instruments and playing equipment, such as fishing rods, tools, batons and the like, and it would appear that a like approach could be used on golf clubs. Warming the handles of golf clubs, however, alters the balance of the club, since the portion of the club, including the face, is still cold, and the precise relationships originally built into the club, between the parts, to achieve proper flexibility and behavior, is lost. To properly warm the grip and handle and retain optimum club balance and performance, it is necessary to heat the entire club, including the shaft and facing. When the entire club is heated, balance is achieved, and comfort is provided for the golf player in cold weather.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention warms and keeps warm the entire set of golf clubs used by the player. The invention utilizes the golf bag housing the clubs in combination with a heater and heat exchanger whereby the golf clubs are elevated in temperature, and kept at an optimum temperature, for instance 72 F.

A heater is inserted at, or into, the base of the golf bag with a heat exchanger extending from the heater to the top of the bag. The heater includes a chamber for holding the fuel or heat source, and a shield over the chamber. The heat exchanger is hollow and may optionally act as a vent for the heater, and/or as a handle for inserting the heater in the bag.

An object of the invention is to warm a golf club, and keep it warm during play to make the club more comfortable to the player, and to restore normal performance to the club in cold weather.

A further object is, in cold weather playing, to return warm weather sensitivity of feel to numb hands in grasping the clubs.

A further object is to restore resiliency to a golf club shaft and head for normal flexibility, during cold weather.

A further object is to dry golf club facings, in cold weather, for normal friction so that the club will impart expected forward or backward spin to the ball.

A further object is to provide a device for heating a golf club, varied in size and shape to hold a heat source, allow for fresh air intake, carry smoke or gases to the outside, radiate heat uniformly and interfere with use of the club during play as little as possible.

A further object is to provide a pivotal ring mount which keeps heat source vertical when the bag is laid down.

A further object is to provide a varied purpose element serving individually, or in combination, as a handle to insert or remove the heater, as an exhaust pipe, and as a heat exchanger.

A further object is to provide different ways to bring in fresh air from outside the bag into the heater, and to drain out any combustible gasses that may collect in the bag during storage.

A further object is to provide varied ways to carry the exhaust gases from within the bag to the outside of the bag, as best suited to the fuel or other considerations.

A further object is to provide a shaft wide spring grip to hold the heater in position.

Another object is to provide a wire guard to protect the club handles from the hot heater holder.

A further object is to provide an optional bag liner to assist in retaining the heat.

A further object is to enable use to be made of any moderate heat source to heat a golf bag, such as the volatile fuel burners used in hand warmers, solid or liquid fuel stoves, lamps, candles, charcoal burners, canned heat, chemical, electrical or other heat sources.

Further purposes appear in the specifications and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the golf bag, partially cut away, to show the heater holder with a dual use shaft.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of one type of heater with a vent cover thereover.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially cut away, showing an alternate form of golf bag and heater.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, I show therein a golf bag 10 having a base and a side wall of the usual configuration and material, such as plastic, textile or leather. Holes 12 are suitably spaced around the bottom of the bag and provide an air inlet into the bag for heater 13 which has a hood 14 and a vent means handle and heat exchanger 15. Heater l3 and element 15 are metallic. The heater 13, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes hood or shield 14 and a base 16. The base 16 is suitably secured to the bottom of bag 10 by a bolt or the like which extends through an opening in the base of the bag into a tapped hole in base 16 on the bottom side (not shown). Base 16 has extending radially therefrom lugs 17 at circumferentially spaced positions around the base. Angle slots 18 in shield 14 are spaced so that the shield can be attached to the base 16 by positioning slots 18 over the lugs, whereby the shield and base are brought toward one another and then rotated. This removably locks shield 14 to the base 16.

Openings 19 extend circumferentially around the skirt of heater 13.

A gimbal arrangement 20 is fixed to the base 16 and comprises a support 21, a U-shaped support 22, a ring 23 and a hemispherical shell 25. U-shaped support 22 is fixably secured to support 21, while ring 23 is pivoted in U 22 at 26, and shell- 25 is pivoted in ring 20 at 27. A suitable cover plate 28 is attached to shell 25 in ring 23 at 27, and has therein vent openings 30 and central opening 31.

Fuel, such as charcoal or canned heat, or a liquid fuel, is inserted through opening 31 and ignited. The shield 14 is then engaged onto base 16 by means of lugs 17 and slots 18. A combination handle, vent means and heat exchanger 15, which is in the form of a telescoping tube having a first tube 32 and a telescoping tube 33, is fixed at 34 to shield 14, as by welding. Where the heat source is fuel which gives off products of combustion, element serves to carry off these products and vent them to the atmosphere.

Element 15 may have optionally therein fins or baffles 36 for exchanging heat rising from heater 13 to element 15 which transfers and distributes heat throughout the bag.

Element 15 is used to insert heater 13 into the bag from the top thereof, and heater 13 is thus secured to the bottom of the bag as by threaded bolt extending through an opening in the base of the bag. The bolt is threaded into a tapped heater, similar to the way a camera is anchored to its case.

A clip 37 on element 15 may be used to snap on the top of the bag and secure the top of element 15 to the bag.

A hood with a suitable opening and closure, such as a zipper 40 extends over and is secured to the top of the bag. Element 15 projects through hood 38.

Gimbal arrangement keeps shell level at all times so that the fuel is not spilled within the bag, and the combustion within the shell is such that the products of combustion pass upwardly into shield 14.

Where a heater is used which has no products of combustion such as an electrical heater, for instance battery powered, no such gimbal arrangement is necessary.

Heat rises upwardly from shell 25 or other suitable heater into shield 14 and then through element 15 to pass into the atmosphere at 42. As the 'heat passes through element 15, the heat is transferred to the interior of the bag suitably with the help of fins 36 which are arranged in a baffle arrangement as seen in FIG. 3. Also where products of combustion are generated by the heat source, such as carbon monoxide, the products pass upwardly through element 15 and are discharged harmlessly to the atmosphere.

When desired, the hands of the player may be warmed by placing them over the exhaust or vent at 42 to expose them to the heat rising from the heater.

An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 4 where a bag 10 has an opening 43 at the base thereof with a suitable closure 45 such as a hinge door. Tracks 46 are fixed in the bottom of the bag with a stop 47 at the rear of the tracts. A heater unit 13 having slides 47 is slid through the base of the bag along tracks 46 and held in position by stop 47. Openings 48 in heater unit 13 allow heat to pass upward into hood 50 and through heat exchanger 51. Hood 50 is fixed within bag 10 and is not readily removable. Element 51 may be of a flexible metallic hose-like structure wherein it can be deposited spirally within the bag to provide an arrangement whereby heat is distributed within the bag and transferred to the golf clubs which are stacked within the spiral. A hood arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 1 may be used in the embodiment of FIG. 4. Element 13' may be a heat unit that has a rechargeable battery as a heat source wherein the unit 13 is removed from the bag at the end of play and connected to the electrical source such as a residential or commercial wall outlet through a charger mechanism.

1 claim:

1. In a golf bag having an upper closure thereon forming a closed chamber adapted to receive a plurality of golf clubs therein, the improvement comprising heater means within the bag for warming the golf clubs by convection and radiation having a heater resting on and supported by the base of the bag, a heat exchanger connected to the heater and extending from the heater upwardly through the closed chamber to the top thereof, first attachment means for securing the heater to the base of the bag, and second attachment means for retaining the heat exchanger positioned within the bag, wherein said heat exchanger optionally functions as a chimney for venting products of combustion from the heater to the atmosphere outside the bag, and as a handle for insertion and withdrawal of the heater means into and from the bag. 

1. In a golf bag having an upper closure thereon forming a closed chamber adapted to receive a plurality of golf clubs therein, the improvement comprising heater means within the bag for warming the golf clubs by convection and radiation having a heater resting on and supported by the base of the bag, a heat exchanger connected to the heater and extending from the heater upwardly through the closed chamber to the top thereof, first attachment means for securing the heater to the base of the bag, and second attachment means for retaining the heat exchanger positioned within the bag, wherein said heat exchanger optionally functions as a chimney for venting products of combustion from the heater to the atmosphere outside the bag, and as a handle for insertion and withdrawal of the heater means into and from the bag. 